Jake Peavy failed. Rumors were swirling that he would go to the team he faced yesterday. But I don't think he wants to know, after his disappointing performance against the the team from Philly.
It was the day the Phillies weep the Padres, 10-5.
Ibanez saved the day while Antonio Bastardo shined in his debut. A friend of mine wrote a great article about this prospect, and with Brett Myers gone, I was hoping that this kid would shine.
He did. And here is my recap:
Ibanez has been huge this year. But today, it was bigger than huge. Much much bigger. He drove in two homers and pinned in five runs. It was his birthday present, as he turned 37 years old.
On the other hand, a kid 14 years younger also had a good performance, topping one of the best pitchers in the league.
Bastardo, a kid from the Dominican Republic, was given help from his pal, Raul Ibanez. According to ESPN.com, it says that Raul translated for the young pitcher.
"I think I did a good job," Bastardo told ESPN.
I am sure you did Antonio.
"It's great we won, first and foremost, and the kid threw a great game," Ibanez said. "He did a phenomenal job."
He sure did.
Peavy did his worst, not doing a phenomenal job like he usually would do, allowing four runs—in the first inning! But it wasn't really his fault. Don't blame the economy, blame his viral upper respiratory infection.
When Ibanez pulled in his first homer, he reached the 200-homer-mark, then moving up 201 with the second. So it wasn't just Bastardo with a phenomenal performance, it was also an old 37-year-old.
"His adrenaline was going," manager Charlie Manuel said. "He was in a rush. You couldn't have slowed him down if you wanted to. But he did one thing real good -- he was aggressive and he wasn't afraid to throw the ball."
And, of course, it's how you get it done.
And Bastardo and Ibanez did just that.
The Phillies move up on top to 30-20, leading the NL East. So really, the Phils don't need Roy Oswalt or Jake Peavy. They got it all right here, in a prospect named Antonio Bastardo.
And he will shine.
And so will the Phillies.
